On Ebina’s orders, some of the officers fired at the kaiju, but it was already out of range. “Crap! It got away!” Ebina said angrily.
Before the officers’ eyes, the remaining pair of kaiju were advancing ever nearer. With everyone fighting together, the platoon was somehow managing to hold them at bay, but if officers were to split off and go after the escapee, the other kaiju might well break through.
“This is Ebina Platoon! One kaiju has escaped. Matsuura Platoon, request—”
“I’ll go.”
“Huh? Hey!” Ebina said, surprised.
Hoshina leapt from the train tracks. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, he caught up with the kaiju that was destroying houses as it advanced, detoured around it, and came to stand in the middle of the street.
A house was blown apart, and from the swirl of airborne dust the kaiju revealed itself. It emitted a screech like fingernails on a chalkboard. There was not a single tooth inside its gaping maw.
You don’t need a dentist at least. I’m jealous.
The kaiju came charging straight at him. Hoshina crouched, keeping his head low, and jumped forward as if he were crawling on the ground. He delved into the narrow gap between the kaiju and the ground. In this way, he emerged from between its rear legs and passed the kaiju’s body. The katana that was slung from his waist was already drawn from its sheath.
Got him. I felt it in the handle.
When Hoshina looked back, the kaiju’s head was just coming loose from its body. The creature collapsed with a loud noise. Hoshina shook his blood-drenched blade clean with a little swish.
“Platoon Leader Ebina, this is Hoshina. About that yoju. I neutralized it.”
“W-well done! We’ve also neutralized all of ours. Return to the platoon.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Hoshina passed by the kaiju he had just neutralized, he reflected on the encounter.
So— my Hoshina katana still works after all.
Just as the other officers and his father had pointed out, it was difficult to tangle with giant kaiju using swords. But when it came to small kaiju like these ones, in urban combat with plenty of obstructions, Hoshina had the edge.
Thoom! A loud noise could be heard somewhere off in the distance.
That’s artillery fire!
Hoshina looked, and in the river’s upstream direction, he saw the figure of a gargantuan kaiju that looked like it was wearing a giant scarf. It was standing on its hind legs, rising to a likely height of thirty meters.
Is that the honju that Ashiro’s handling?
After all, Hoshina and his sword were no match for something that big.
Just as he was heading back to rendezvous with his platoon, a communiqué arrived from an operator.
“One yoju entering Zone L! Please exercise caution!”
At eleven o’clock, Hoshina saw a kaiju running down the sloped street in his direction. Compared to the one he’d just neutralized, this one was somewhat larger. Probably had a full length of ten meters.
“I’m close by. I’ll head toward it.” After Hoshina transmitted his response, he took off running toward the kaiju.
All right, come at me, will you?
Twenty meters to contact. Hoshina pulled slightly on the sword on his hip to loosen the blade from the scabbard.
That was when the kaiju suddenly stopped running down the slope. It rose up on its back legs, supporting itself with its tail. As if wary of Hoshina, the kaiju was keeping its distance. The scarf-like organ on its head swelled outward.
What’s that?
The next instant, the kaiju opened its mouth and forcefully stuck its neck out forward. As if from a fire hose, a huge amount of yellowish fluid shot out from its mouth.
What the—!
Sensing the danger, Hoshina retreated instantly. The decision had been a correct one. A fluid-drenched roadside tree in front of him began to sizzle as burn marks appeared on it.
A solvent?
Hoshina discovered something on the ground near the roadside tree. It had come flying out of the kaiju’s mouth along with the liquid—the skull of a deer.
“Listen!” Ebina transmitted. “I’ve heard that mature individuals with scarf-like organs that are sufficiently developed can spit out highly acidic saliva. Apparently, they store saliva inside the scarf, breaking down their food into sludge and digesting it. Their range is between twenty and forty meters!”
Unlike a sniper, Hoshina had no choice but to get in close to a kaiju to neutralize it. The news that it had a ranged weapon wasn’t good.
There’s still a way!
Hoshina leapt into the shadow of a house. Rebounding from wall to wall, he made a surprise attack from the kaiju’s blind spot. He drew his katana. Noticing Hoshina, the kaiju turned its eyes on him, glaring, but—
You’re too late! I’ve got the distance.
Hoshina swung his katana from the side.
Technique Number One—Air Slicer.
When Hoshina looked back in midair, fresh blood was spraying from the kaiju’s head. He’d killed it—or so he thought, but its head didn’t come rolling off. It was still attached to its body. The kaiju was still hanging on to life.
It still isn’t finished? Was the fat around its neck too thick?
The scarf inflated, and the kaiju pursed its lips.
Then the acidic fluid came. In midair, there was no move Hoshina could make.
Uh-oh, at this rate—
Ra-ta-ta-ta! He heard a volley of gunfire.
The kaiju’s movements instantly ceased. Its epidermis had gone rigid, as if frozen.
“Fire!”
From nearby, Ebina’s order rang out. Immediately, a large explosion went off by the kaiju’s head.
“The core is inside its pharynx! Concentrate your fire!”
Countless flash rounds struck the kaiju’s throat. Although the scarf inflated once more, another huge explosion occurred. The kaiju let loose a massive roar toward the sky, and then fell over onto its back.
Passing alongside the fallen kaiju, Ebina approached with his gun at the ready. “Hoshina, run to check if there are any civilian stragglers. There was a report from a shelter about a child who got separated from his parents. There’s even a possibility that he might still be somewhere in the city.”
“Sir, I can still fi—”
“I know what you can do,” Ebina said, interrupting Hoshina. “It’s amazing. But it isn’t a good fit for tangling with these kaiju.”
That made sense to Hoshina, although he still didn’t like the sound of it.
“You pick the right tool for the right job,” Ebina continued. “Word from above is, dull their movements with freeze rounds, and then pump ’em full of burst rounds. That’ll work. Inform us if you run into any yoju.”
“Yes, sir,” Hoshina said.
The boom of a large artillery strike resounded from far away. Upstream, a large column of smoke was swirling upward. Was Mina Ashiro’s bombardment of the honju still ongoing?
I’ve always lived alongside my katana.
“This is no longer the age of the katana.” These words, once spoken to Hoshina by his father, reverberated inside his head.
If you rob me of my katana, what on earth will be left—?